Using Perceptual Maps in Marketing Simulation Summary The situation that is being explained in the simulation states of the declining sales of Thorr Motorcycles’s product, the CruiserThorr, because of its previous customers that are aging and no longer interested in what the product stands for. Another factor for the decline includes their younger customers wanting the motorcycle at a lower price for the fact that they would not otherwise have high salaries as in the older age group. These same young customers cannot identify with the Lifestyle image of CruiserThorr because the bike and its attributes have aged a little according to the industry’s standards. The sales decline has caused Thorr’s competitors to gain market share and competitive advantage. The task at hand is to reverse the sales decline first by creating a strategic marketing plan, second creating a perceptual map, and lastly making the decision of whether to upgrade the CruiserThorr or build an upgraded version that fits in with recent motorcycle trends. This marketing plan should ensure Thorr’s position in the marketplace if it is successful in doing so.

The first phase is about identifying the parameters and how they might be essential to the product and important to the customers. The Lifestyle image of the motorcycle is important because of the liberty of owning a masculine bike. Lifestyle image contributes to a lot of sales despite the economic weather. Motorcycles are all about image and it always has been, from the late 1900s until the present day. The pricing strategy also plays a huge role in the success of the product. The product should be priced according to the target market it is appealing toward. For example if the target is the younger age group of 21-35 years of age, then the bike would be tagged at a lower...

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UsingPerceptualMaps in MarketingSimulationSummary
MKT 421
Instructor: Ken Metz
October 7, 2013
UsingPerceptualMaps in MarketingSimulationSummary
The situation consists of me constructing a perceptualmap to create a marketing plan for Thorr Motorcycles. The perceptualmap will be based off of parameters fundamental to the product and significant to the customer. I am the marketing manager for CruiserThorr. We are trying to use the parameters to market a new and innovative motorcycle to meet the needs of the target market. The parameters I have to choose from are lifestyle image, product design and styling, coolness, product uniqueness, service offerings, price, engine capacity, safety, and quality engineering.
The parameters that I picked and felt were the most appropriate to market a new motorcycle were product design and styling, service offerings, price, and quality engineering. I chose product design and styling because often what the customer sees influences what they buy. Customers want products that are appealing to the eye and what better way to do so than by making sure that the product is new, cool looking, and gives off the impression that the product is amazing. Service...

...UsingPerceptual Mas in MarketingSummary
Christy Gehr
MKT/421
February 21, 2013
Professor Jose Siqueira
UsingPerceptualMaps on MarketingSimulationSummary
Throughout this paper the situation of Cruisers Thorr Motorcycles will be discussed along with suggestions and recommended solutions, and finally the results. Isolation and positioning of products or services will show in this paper. Additionally, it will debate how the product was affected in the simulation because of the product life cycle in marketing. The business of Thorr Motorcycles assembles about 200,000 bikes a year. The company is a five billion dollar very accomplished business. The company also manufactures leather goods, T-shirts, toys, and shoes. The high end of the company is the Cruiser Thorr. Although the industry in thriving, the Thorr Motorcycle sales are diminishing (University of Phoenix, 2011).
One issue steaming from the decline in sales has to do with the targeted audience. Thorr Motorcycles have become an expensive and classic bike appealing more to the older 35 to 50 year-old age groups. Though the younger generations are interested it becomes less appealing because of the price. The younger generations do not have the income to purchase a Cruiser...

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PerceptualMapsMarketingSimulation
xxxx
MKT/421
July 24, 2013
Do. Smith
Thorr Motorcycles: PerceptualMapsMarketingSimulation
Producing more than 200,000 motorcycles a year, Thorr Motorcycles, Inc. is a successful manufacturing company. Thorr also offers services such as dealer training, packaged software, rider training, and rentals. Thorr’s holds a highly respected brand image, and holds 40% of the market. CruiserThorr has an image of “masculinity, mobility, and freedom.” Thorr has had a decline in sales. Thorr will use feedback from their customer’s views on their line of motorcycles. To increase sales, Thorr will develop a plant to change the perception of their motorcycle line with their target market.
Phase I
CruiserThorr recognizes the decline in sales. “The motorcycle industry is growing annually, but sales of Thorr Motorcycle’s existing product CruiserThorr (a 1500cc power cruiser priced at $25,800) are deceasing” (University of Phoenix, 2013). Thorr recognized that this is a result of the age of the target market. The older age of the targeted consumers does not care about the lifestyle a CruiserThorr portrays. The younger consumers who generally have less spending money would like to see a line of less expensive motorcycles. Thorr needs a new marketing strategy to turn the declining sales into the opposite...

...UsingPerceptualMaps in Marketing
Thorr Motorcycles, Inc. is a billion dollar manufacturing company, producing over 200,000 units per year. Additionally, Thorr offers services including dealer training, dealer software packages, motorcycle rentals and rider training. Thorr’s brand image is high, and it currently holds 40% of the market. This simulation asks students to take on the role of Marketing Manager.
The first situation states that sales of the Cruiser Thorr are decreasing because target customers are aging and are no longer interested in the lifestyle portrayed by the Cruiser Thorr. Additionally, younger customers with smaller disposable incomes are looking for less expensive bikes. A new marketing plan is needed to reverse these trends. Students are asked to ascertain the market position of Cruiser Thorr using a perceptualmap, selecting four fundamental parameters that are relevant to the industry and that reflect the highest potential for Cruiser Thorr.
The four fundamental parameters that I selected were Lifestyle Image, Price, Quality Engineering and Cool. I chose three of four fundamental parameters. Instead of the Cool factor, I should have focused more on Services Offered. Services are simple but time-tested ways of ensuring customer loyalty and keeping dealers and distributers happy.
Situation two informs...

...UsingPerceptualMaps in Marketing
MKT/421
UsingPerceptualMaps in Marketing
Thorr Motorcycles is a very successful business based in South Dakota sells motorcycles and motorcycle apparel. Thorr Motorcycles is a multibillion dollar company that manufactures more than 200,000 motorcycles each year. Thorr has long had an image of producing high-end machines and has enjoyed a 40% share in the market. A recent census indicated that Thorr needs to improve its current product to boost sales and stop the recent decline in sales. The company would benefit by usingperceptualmaps that are designed to reveal a customer’s expectation of a product. However, a perceptualmap is useful only if the correct parameters are chosen to develop the map. The parameters chosen need to be important to the customer and essential to the product. This paper will focus on the three phases of the perceptualmap situation and discuss the situation, the solution, and the results of decisions made for each phase.
Phase 1 (Where is the Thunder?)
The first phase of a simulation is to choose the correct parameters used in a perceptualmap that will be compared to other motorcycle manufacturing companies. A...

...PerceptualMapsSimulation
I found this simulation to be very interesting. First of all, it was about motorcycles, and what guy doesn't find that to be an interesting topic? Regarding the lessons it contained for marketing though, it was also interesting while still being entertaining as well. The situations it presented were realistic, while not being so overcomplicated that the material it was trying to present got lost. In the following paper I will discuss the situations from the simulation, the relationship between differentiation and positioning especially with regards to the product in the simulation, and the effect of the product life cycle on marketing again focusing on its relationship to the simulation product.
Situations
The first situation the simulation provided me with was a successful brand that is facing declining sales. My recommendation was to focus on Lifestyle, Quality Engineering, Coolness and Price. My results from this were good, but could have been better if instead of focusing on coolness, I'd chosen to focus on service instead. This would have allowed me to optimally position the product.
The second situation was to decide on a marketing plan moving forward for Thorr motorcycles. I chose to launch a new motorcycle, the RRoth, rather that reposition CruiserThorr. I chose this because...

...UsingPerceptualMaps in MarketingSimulationSummary
Nikitta Echols
MKT/421
June 13, 2011
Instructor Chrisann Merriman
UsingPerceptualMaps in MarketingSimulationSummary
The Business world is constantly thinking of innovative ideas to accomplish the goal of having an ample amount of information for current and future marketers. Subsequently marketing students were specifically instructed to complete the simulation, UsingPerceptualMaps in Marketing, located on University of Phoenix’s student website. I prepare to address the three major phases: the situation; my recommended regarding why I recommended those solutions; and my results and describe them. I summarize the different marketing components addressed in the simulation by answering the following questions:
* What is the relationship between differentiation and positioning of products or services? Is the repositioning of the product in the simulation as you had expected it to be? Explain why or why not.
I also summarize the different marketing components addressed in the simulation by answering the following questions:
* What is the effect of the product life cycle on...

...UsingPerceptualMaps in MarketingSimulationSummary
Thorr Motorcycles is a $5 billion company producing a wide range of motorcycles. In addition to producing motorcycles, the company, also have licensing programs; sell T-shirts, shoes, toys for the motorcycle. The company offer services in dealer training, dealer software packages, motorcycle rental, and rider training (University of Phoenix, 2013). The sales of high quality of motorcycles are declining. The cost of a princely motorcycle was $200 in 1901. Today, a heavyweight powerful cruisers cost $25,000 (University of Phoenix, 2013). The company must develop a marketing strategy to improve sales for Thorr Motorcycles.
The situation
The situation for Thorr Motorcycle company is their sales are declining on 1500cc power cruiser motorcycles (University of Phoenix, 2013). Consumers in the age group of 35 to 50 are aging and their interest is changing. The younger generation in the age group of 21 to 35 incomes is small, and they prefer to purchase the inexpensive motorcycle (University of Phoenix, 2013). In addition to the change of interest from the younger generation, Thorr Motorcycle company should be concerned with their competitors because the competitors are intruding on Cruiser Thorn’s market (University of Phoenix, 2013). A decision on a marketing approach should be implemented to increase sales for...